Tag Archives: World War II

I’ve been on a bit of a Star Trek and History kick lately, and it’s gotten me to thinking. There’s a lot of focus lately on Iran and it’s possible acquisition of nuclear weapons, the ultimate doomsday device created by mankind. Captain Kirk said, and I paraphrase here, that such a device is intended as a bluff, so strong is it that its use could destroy both sides. Is that definition of a doomsday device applicable to our own nuclear weapons? It doesn’t seem like it. We’ve used nuclear weapons already. Twice. Our nuclear weapons may have originally been intended as a bluff, maybe, but its actual effect is as a deterrent. Our proverbial “big stick” to hit people with if they mess with us. The problem we now face is that other people already have that same big stick, and we want to limit who else gets the big stick. But how can we prevent them from doing so when some of those others with big sticks may show others how to make big sticks? Oh well, there’s probably just too many big sticks shoved up in dark places to begin with.

I love Axis and Allies. I’ve played it with my wife, with my friends, with Game Table online, and I just can’t get enough of it (though the AI player annoys me with its focus on air forces). I’ve played the Allies and smashed the Axis, and played the Axis and triumphed over the Allies. Maybe it’s because I’m a history nerd, or the son of military parents, but I’m endlessly fascinated by that monumental struggle that ended almost 7 decades ago.